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Pearl
Pearl is a member of the Crystal Gems. One of Rose Quartz's closest followers and her sole confidant, Pearl is one of the last surviving Gems on Earth who joined the Crystal Gems in their rebellion against the Gem Homeworld. Pearl would afterwards protect the Earth over the next several millennia alongside her friends, while later teaching Rose's son, Steven, the ways of the Gems. Personality Pearl is a perfectionist knowledgeable on a plethora of topics that values organizations. Pearl has a penchant for symmetry (going so far as to impale M.C. Bear Bear to maintain the symmetry of a pile of appliances and school supplies) and a high attention to details. Despite her perfectionism and occasional bragging, Pearl suffers from low self-esteem. In "Friend Ship", she admits she is very dependent on others to validate her, which loops into a strong inferiority complex. According to Amethyst in "Reformed", she needs everyone's constant approval to feel secure. Without anyone to tell her what to do or to depend on her, Pearl feels lost without meaning or value. Pearl admits she often feels extremely weak and/or useless when compared to others who appear better than her, going so far as to describe herself as ineffective on her own; always in need of a leader she can follow. Her self-deprecating tendencies stem from the Homeworld caste values, where pearls are viewed as property rather than Gems. This has led her to take drastic actions to prove herself — though, thanks to Garnet's encouragement in "Friend Ship", she has started to take initiatives instead of letting other's words define Pearl herself. It appears Pearl has taken this to her heart, as she asserted herself against Peridot when she treated Pearl in a degrading tone. Pearl even goes as far as physically punching Peridot to show that she is an individual, not a piece of property. Pearl is easily flustered and overwhelmed when confronted by the unknown or when her plans fail, which can lead to her judgement being clouded or cause her to act on impulse instead of rational thinking. Her inner turmoil over her love for Rose (and her subsequent absence) has made Pearl lash out at Steven and the Crystal Gems more than once. Her fierce desire to feel "strong" and have more victories as a Crystal Gem even caused her to betray Garnet's trust and basic principles so they could keep forming Sardonyx. When realizing how much she hurt others, Pearl will apologize and try as hard as she can to set things right, working hard to counteract the damage she may have inflicted. Out of all the Crystal Gems, Pearl is the most poorly adjusted to life on Earth, being unaware of human social conventions and culture, such as jokes, games, arcades, food, and birthday parties. Pearl has expressed a great desire to leave Earth in "Space Race", going so far as to risk her and Steven's lives. Pearl also has a pessimistic view of humanity, as evidenced by her statement in "Keep Beach City Weird," though in Political Power, she seemed to be around at the time when humans lived without light for millennia, and knew that they used to hunt and gather, she was quite surprised that they no longer do that anymore. Despite her pessimistic perspective of humans, Pearl is extremely dedicated to her cause in protecting humanity more or less out of her love, loyalty, and admiration for Rose Quartz. She does, however, find certain aspects of Earth rather amazing. Regardless of her poor understanding of human society, she is able to pay for the Cookie Cats Amethyst and Garnet steal in "Gem Glow", drive Greg's van in "Ocean Gem", and repair it in "House Guest". She also watches the New Year's Eve fireworks show in "Maximum Capacity". In "Back to the Barn", it is revealed that pearls are not created to fight, but to follow orders. However, Pearl trained to fight with Rose. Peridot also describes pearls as accessories that are meant to be put on display as status symbols and to perform menial tasks, although Pearl's appearance fits this standard. Aside from her pessimism and perfectionism, Pearl is usually polite and reserved to others; she keeps everything set orderly and tidy. Her obsessive attention to tidiness is explained in "Back to the Barn", when it is revealed that pearls are made-to-order servants and are created to "hold stuff" for their masters. Appearance Pearl has a slender, thin build, ivory skin, sky-blue eyes, a pointed nose and thin lips. She is quite tall for a non-fusion Gem; towering over Amethyst, Ruby, Sapphire, Peridot, and Steven alike. She is nearly equal height (with hair) to Garnet's chin. Her hair has a peach-pink color and resembles a pixie-cut in the front, while in the back, her hair leads to a point. Pearl is usually drawn without eyelashes or pupils, although they have been seen in some (or a select few) close-ups. Pearl's gemstone is located on the middle of her forehead and has no facets. Pre-Regeneration (debut) Pearl wore a sleeveless, sky blue top that had a translucent chest and transferred into a transparent silk ballet skirt around her waist. Pearl wore short salmon pink-colored leggings, light-green socks, and slip-on ballet flats to match. Post-Regeneration (current) As of "Steven the Sword Fighter", Pearl wears an aqua-blue tunic-leotard with a small gold star on the center of her chest and a lighter satin sash ribbon around her upper waist. Her leggings are amber-colored. Pearl wears pink socks with pale blue slip-on ballet flats. Abilities Pearl possesses traits and abilities that are common among all Gems. Throughout the series, Pearl has been shown to have knowledge in multiple aspects of technology, from fixing Greg's Van, making a semi-functioning spacecraft out of leftover machine parts, creating a functional robot to battle Peridot, to fixing Peridot's Escape Pod and even reverse-engineering it to track Peridot's Warp Pad movements. In "Back to the Barn", it is implied that Pearl's engineering skills are mostly self-taught much to Peridot's astonishment. While Pearl is lithe and quite graceful, she has surprising resilience to injury. In "Coach Steven", she took a headbutt from Sugilite and could still move, given Steven's encouragement. In "On the Run", she took an explosion from Amethyst's whip directly and recovered almost immediately after being briefly immobilized and scratched. In "Historical Friction", she mentions that one of her talents is a dedication to fact. She has shown this skill in the past while displaying examples using her holograms. Her immortality and attention to detail have allowed her to recall historical events as they truly happened, such as the beginning of the Crystal Gems' rebellion and the founding of Beach City. Fusions * When fused with Amethyst, they form Opal. * When fused with Rose Quartz, they form Rainbow Quartz. * When fused with Ruby and Sapphire (or Garnet), they form Sardonyx. * When fused with Ruby, Sapphire (or Garnet), and Amethyst, they form Alexandrite. Skillset * Spear Proficiency: Through her many years of training, Pearl can summon her weapon, a pearlescent spear. Pearl is very skilled in the art of spear-wielding and goes in tandem with her pattern of fighting that involves formal (Ballet) dancing. She moves gracefully and swiftly, attacking with grace and poise. She stays calm and collected during melee battles, duels, and skirmishes. Pearl also has great skill in throwing her spear. This was proven in "Giant Woman", and "Beach Party". As of "Bismuth", Pearl's spear has been upgraded to be able to turn into a trident. * Dual Wielding: Pearl is capable of wielding dual spears in battle, implying she is ambidextrous. * Swordsmanship: Pearl possesses expert knowledge and skill with a sword. For one on one dueling, Pearl's preferred weapon is a straight-bladed sabre. Pearl's parries are tight and minimalist; her offense is a pattern that is specific to the environment. This pattern consists of lunges, thrusts, and horizontal slashes. * Energy Projection: Pearl can fire arrow-like blasts of energy from the tip of her spear. This can be done as rapid-fire, or charged to unleash a more powerful blast. * Engineering: On multiple occasions, Pearl has demonstrated a high level of skill in mechanical engineering, ranging from reverse-engineering Flask Robonoids to constructing a combat-ready robot on short notice. She also constructed a rocket in an attempt to leave Earth, proving herself able to compete with an "expert" mechanic such as Peridot. * Piloting: Pearl has been shown to be able to fly Homeworld ships. For example: In Bubbled, Pearl was flying the Roaming Eye. * Water-Walking: Pearl can walk on water, an ability she shares with Opal, Lion, and Lapis Lazuli. * Photokinesis: Pearl can use her gemstone to light up dark places. She shares this ability with Garnet and Peridot. * Levitation: Pearl temporarily levitates to battle Sugilite in "Coach Steven". She shares this ability with the other Crystal Gems including Steven. * I'tem Summon: '''Pearl can materialize different items out of her gemstone. The three items summoned so far were police tape in "Lars and the Cool Kids", the Mirror in "Mirror Gem" and bandages in "Sworn to the Sword". Unique Abilities * '''Holographic Projection': Pearl can project holographic images from her gemstone, which she uses mainly as a visual aid when lecturing Steven. While most of the holograms seem to be intangible, some, like Holo-Pearl, can interact with solid matter. Furthermore, the holograms can function without Pearl's presence up to two weeks, implying that her holograms can live independently. In "Chille Tid", it is shown Pearl's dreams are projected as holograms as she sleeps. * Self-Duplication: Aside from Holo-Pearls, which is projected through her gemstone, Pearl can also replicate herself several times into hologram-esque clones of herself, as seen in "Beach Party". * Psammokinesis: Pearl is shown manipulating a small amount of sand to create figurines in "Giant Woman". It is currently unknown how much sand she can control at one time. This ability has only been shown once so far. Like her water-walking, it seems to be related thematically to her gemstone (pearl). * Nephelokinesis: In "Sworn to the Sword", Pearl can channel clouds in the direction of her choice, able to gather clouds surrounding the arena around her to create a fine mist, reducing visibility and able to quickly dissipate. However, it's not known if she can do this in other locations. It's possible that both this power and her psammokinesis are just manifestations of weak telekinetic abilities. Additional Tools * Swords: In "Together Breakfast", Pearl retrieves a sword that she accused Amethyst of stealing, but it was later revealed that it fell down the waterfall that starts in her room. ** Inside Pearl's room located on the top of the main (middle) waterfall summons a vast collection of swords in her room consisting of cutlasses, Persian Talwars, and sabers. ** Pearl's preferred sword when teaching sword fighting lessons is a standard Adult Training Saber, as seen with Connie and Steven. * Battleaxe (mentioned only): In "Onion Trade", Pearl demands Amethyst to reveal the location of her battleaxe. * Replicator Wand (formerly): In the same episode, Pearl has a wand that would make identical copies of any physical object. However, Garnet destroys it because she does not want to destroy individually/poof the thousands of Dave G.U.Y.S. that Onion made. Relationships Steven Universe Pearl acts as a kind but overprotective mother towards Steven (or aunt as seeing how close she was to Steven's mother, Rose). She loves teaching Steven about Gem history and culture, as well as teaching him other things such as the art of sword-fighting. As opposed to Garnet's more pragmatic and Amethyst's more fun-loving personalities, Pearl acts as a mentor. She always tries to speak gently to him and is usually the first to show concern when taking him on a dangerous mission. However, in "Space Race", she allows her own interest in returning to space to cloud her better judgement despite trying to attain her original goal of showing Steven the cosmos. Pearl also tends to patronize Steven and frequently underestimates his abilities, expressing maternal feelings towards him and treating him like a fragile child rather than a fellow Crystal Gem, although over time she does respect the fact he is growing up. She is surprised to find that Steven is able to summon his shield in "Gem Glow", return to normal after transforming his fingers into cats in "Cat Fingers", think of strategies to escape the obstacles that they encounter in "Cheeseburger Backpack", as well as the Pyramid Temple in "Serious Steven". Pearl occasionally ignores Steven, such as when he brings up the idea of everyone eating breakfast together in "Together Breakfast". She also does not feel that Steven is prepared to learn about the dark side of Gem history, when she tells Amethyst that Steven "isn't ready" to learn about the harsher reputation of Gems in "On the Run". In "Sworn to the Sword", it is shown Pearl's maternal feelings towards Steven stems from her love and admiration for Rose Quartz, and she views Steven as a crucial asset to the Crystal Gems. Despite recent events and her guilt, she is shown to support Steven and his endeavors in "Historical Friction". She compliments him on his wisdom when he says the flaws and working through them are important to anyone. She helps rewrite the play to be more accurate and is the only Gem to watch it, being ecstatic to see Steven onstage. Garnet Like the other Gems, Pearl respects and follows Garnet's orders without question. She does, however, believe that the Gems are a team and so may not exactly see Garnet as the leader, most likely because she will always see Rose Quartz as leader despite her absence. When situations are requiring executive decisions, however, Pearl usually defers to Garnet. In "Secret Team", it is clear that she shares an unprecedented fear towards her, along with Amethyst, to such an extent that both she and Amethyst willingly set aside their differences to keep the popped Gem-bubble a secret instead of facing the consequences. She has known about her true identity as a fusion for several thousand years. In "Cry for Help", it is apparent that Pearl looks up to Garnet as she is excited to fuse into Sardonyx to destroy the Communication Hub that Peridot rebuilt. Pearl enjoyed fusing with Garnet so much that she rebuilt the Communication Hub twice so she and Garnet could just fuse into Sardonyx resulting in Garnet's anger and temporary estrangement for the deception. In "Friend Ship", Pearl repaired her relationship with Garnet, making peace with her insecurities in the process. She is shown to idolize Garnet, or rather Ruby and Sapphire's relationship, as in that same episode she claims that they are the perfect relationship, and she wanted to fuse so badly because she craved being a part of a stable relationship. Ruby and Sapphire Pearl has not been shown interacting with either Ruby or Sapphire individually. However, during "Keystone Motel", Ruby is greatly angered by Pearl's trickery regarding the Communication Hub, whereas Sapphire is more willing to forgive. This conflict led to Garnet temporarily defusing. In the episode "The Answer", Pearl and Ruby/Sapphire are on opposing sides (in fact, Pearl is about to "poof" Sapphire before Ruby's intervention). Ironically, Pearl's actions resulted in Garnet's creation and her (and by extension Ruby and Sapphire) joining the Crystal Gems. Amethyst The two have a strained relationship which is likely due to their contrasting personalities. Pearl is often seen scolding Amethyst, who often teases Pearl in return. Regardless of their differences, Pearl and Amethyst have been shown to be able to put their differences aside on multiple occasions to work together. For example, in "Secret Team", Pearl and Amethyst are forced to fight together, and complement each other's skills, even sharing appreciative smiles; in "Warp Tour", they praise and admire each other's fighting techniques; in "On the Run", the two reveal that they really do deeply care about each other, despite their differences and frequent fights. In "Story for Steven" they are shown having a much closer relationship before the events of the series, close enough to be perfectly content hugging and resting in each other's arms. It can be assumed that Rose's departure and Steven's birth somehow lead to their relationship deteriorating with time, as Amethyst implies that they used to fuse more often in "Giant Woman". Their relationship seems to have been slowly improving over the course of the series. In "Log Date 7 15 2" it is shown that their relationship has improved enough that they can form Opal with little effort. Greg Universe She is on speaking terms with Greg and has shown to at least try to be civil towards him, even fixing his van after it is wrecked in "Ocean Gem". In "House Guest" she is anxious about him living with the Crystal Gems, and she is usually the first (and often the only one) of the Crystal Gems to get irritated or even mad at him as shown in "The Message". Because of Pearl's close relationship with Rose Quartz, it is possible that her negative view of Greg stems from her blaming him for his part in Rose's "death" in giving birth to Steven, much like she harbors a similar resentment towards Steven as revealed in "Rose's Scabbard". In "Reformed", however, the two are seen casually tinkering with his van together and seemingly getting along very well, showing an improvement of their relationship. The episode "We Need to Talk" further explores their relationship in the past when Rose was still alive. Pearl is shown to be very jealous of Rose's new-found affection for him and goes to great lengths of trying to challenge him and dissuade him from pursuing a relationship with Rose. This, combined with the fact that she sees Greg partially responsible for Rose's demise, explains why she seems to be uncomfortable, condescending and resentful towards him in episodes set in the current time. In "Chille Tid", Pearl has a dream in which she suggests to Rose that they forget about Greg and explore the galaxy together. Much to her horror, Rose's face turns into Greg's. "Mr. Greg" goes in depth on their relationship. Pearl expresses her feelings about Greg and Rose's relationship through song while she thinks Greg and Steven are asleep. In this song, Pearl says she feels lost without Rose, and that at first she was able to stand Greg, before Rose fell in love with him. She holds a grudge against him but seems to have given up at a certain point, accepting the fact that Rose had chosen Greg over her. Greg was awake the whole time and, after the song was over, says that he doesn't think things can ever be normal between them. Steven reveals he brought Pearl with them for the purpose of trying to repair their relationship and sings "Both of You" to show how much they have in common. They show great improvement throughout the rest of the episode, and at the end, Steven quotes Pearl's song, singing the line "It's over, isn't it?" while watching them laugh with each other, implying Pearl no longer holds Rose's love for Greg against him and the two can finally work towards a good friendship. Sugilite Pearl dislikes Sugilite due to her reckless and violent nature. Pearl almost grudgingly admits that she's jealous of Sugilite's strength (in a song), but she cuts herself off before finishing the line. Her dislike for Sugilite also stems from concern over Garnet and Amethyst as she believes it is dangerous for them to stay fused for longer periods of time; they might start losing their own individuality. Also, Pearl's own competing desire to feel "stronger" (when fused as Sardonyx) also may play a role in her feelings to Sugilite. Rose Quartz Pearl's closest relationship before the series started was with Rose Quartz. Pearl fought with Rose her against her own Homeworld. She (falsely) believed herself to be Rose's "sole confidant" and therefore the only living being privy to all Rose's secrets, a position she took great pride in. Pearl looked up to Rose for guidance and support, and she developed romantic feelings for Rose over time. In "Story for Steven", when Rose bragged about Greg's singing, Pearl is quick to note as soon as he is out of earshot that she can also sing, much to the amusement of the other Crystal Gems. "Sworn to the Sword" reveals that she was so devoted to protecting Rose that she sacrificed herself constantly for her, having adopted the human title of a "knight" to heart to the point of obsessive recklessness. "We Need to Talk" further explores the relationship between the two. Set in the 80's like the previous episode "Story for Steven" it reveals that Pearl was very jealous of Greg, constantly trying to persuade him that Rose's affections for him were just a "phase" because as a human he was eventually going to pass away while Rose, being a Gem, would live on. She also challenges him by convincing Rose to fuse with her in front of Greg, and later gloating that as a human he would never know such intimacy with Rose. Pearl's jealousy of Greg implied that her feelings for Rose were romantic. This was later confirmed by show writer Matt Burnett via a tweet1 after the episode aired. It is not currently known whether Rose Quartz reciprocated Pearl's romantic feelings, however, when asked if Pearl's feelings for Rose were supposed to be a one-sided crush, Matt Burnett described the situation as "much more complicated"2. In any case, their relationship was a very close one, as they easily and casually fused into Rainbow Quartz. In "Chille Tid" Pearl has a dream in which she suggests to Rose that they forget about Greg and explore the galaxy together. In "The Answer", is confirmed that Pearl and Rose have been together since, at least, the year 3734 BCE. Connie Pearl originally saw Connie as just Steven's friend, but in "Sworn to the Sword", Pearl, initially doubtful, was touched to the point of tears by Connie's passion and willingness to defend Steven, thus mentors her in the art of sword fighting, and related Connie to herself and Steven to Rose during the training. She had begun to teach her the way that she had taught herself; to risk her life to protect Steven. However, Pearl soon learned from her mistake. Now, Pearl thinks that Connie is an expert on sword fighting and that she and Steven can be great knights together. Gem Hunt further shows the relationship between Pearl and Connie. Peridot Before the events of "When It Rains" Peridot is perceived as an enemy of Pearl and the Crystal Gems. Pearl shows great disdain and anger towards Peridot until she came on even terms during the episode "When It Rains" and forms somewhat of an alliance with Peridot. During the events of "Back to the Barn" Pearl is treated as an inferior being to Peridot, as the gemstone pearl is revealed to be a servant class on Homeworld. This causes Pearl to become rather angry at Peridot during the episode, to the point of punching her in the face after Peridot's continuous jabs and belittling. Eventually, the two are on even terms after the events of the "Robolympics". In Message Received, Pearl officially accepts Peridot as a Crystal Gem. Pearl and Peridot currently seem to be on good terms. Bismuth When Steven brings Bismuth out of Lion's mane, Pearl is overjoyed and runs up to Bismuth to embrace her. Bismuth then jokes about who Pearl belongs to, to which Pearl laughs along with, showing that they have a strong relationship, as in any other circumstance, being a servant is a sensitive topic for Pearl. Bismuth learns about the aftermath of the war from Pearl. When Pearl starts to cry, Bismuth tells Pearl that she starts to cry whenever Pearl does, implying they had a close relationship previously. Pearl apologizes, but Bismuth says that it's okay, and they comfort each other. In general, they appear to be close (at least in comparison to the still extant Crystal Gems), having bonded over their common disregard of the Gem caste system. Lion Originally, Pearl saw Lion as just an average wild animal, being a little uneasy about Steven keeping him because of his probably dangerous nature. However, in "Rose's Scabbard", she gains a different kind of unease due to him containing Rose's Sword and thus having some connection to Rose. This knowledge distressed her greatly as Rose supposedly told her everything, causing her to resent Lion a bit to the point where she ran away with Rose's Scabbard to the Gem Battlefield. After gaining encouragement from Steven, she seems to respect Lion a bit more while still feeling tenuous about him in general.